Zan
Also known as: Roman Gaul, Roman R Gaul, Roman Rick Gaul, better known as Zan, was until recently an operative of the Shotozumi-rengo of the Seattle yakuza. Zan was one of the first characters introduced into the campaigin, pairing up with Thomas "T-Rex" Florence and Antonious "Teucer" Feldspar in a joint venture between the yakuza and the Mafia against the Seattle Triads (see also: the armor plot). Despite this, he has only recently become a full-fledged member of the now independent team, severing his ties to the Shotozumi. General information A Caucasian human, Zan appears to be in his early thirties, with dark hair and eyes and a tall, muscular build. He has been extensively modified with both cyber and bioware and has a notable aptitude with all manner of weapons, though he favors a heavily modified Ingram smartgun. An extremely deadly combatent, Zan has demonstrated himself to be both merciless and efficient when the bullets start flying, on more than one occasion calmly executing opponents who have been rendered more or less out of the fight. Still, he does not seem to relish the killing, often advocating a softer, stealthier approach. In any event, Zan has been a great asset to the team beyond his abilities as a killer, providing them with vehicles, drones, and other tools from his own income. Zan comes across as cool, dark, and somewhat aloof, but is generally polite when addressed, if curt. He has proven willing and knowledgable when giving advice, demonstrating extensive experience with everything from infiltration and surveillence to urban combat. He has been noticably on edge lately, even teetering on the cusp of a complete breakdown, but this is both understandable given his current involvement with the shedim and his former ties to the yakuza, and forgiveable as it has yet to manifest in hostility or anger towards another member of the team. Zan is considerbly loyal to Dr. Vanessa Drake, who bought his perminant service from the yakuza for the princely sum of 450,000 nuyen, where she can study the nature of the his visions. The team has been assured he will be joining them again shortly as a regular member. Zan and the Shedim Though the exact nature of the phenomnon is currently a mystery, Zan is subject to trances where he is forced to look through the eyes of the greater Shedim currently plaguing Seattle. The things he sees in these trances are frequently disturbing and usually horrendously violent, but have proven useful in tracking the demonic entities down. It is a terrible price to pay for such an advantage, all borne by Zan, and it has contributed more than anything to his apparent near breakdown. One Shedim referred to Zan as "the Seer", pronouncing it see-er (As in one who sees), but the specifics of this are unknown at this time. Zan and the Crash of '64 Zan, Roman then, was on his way to grad school at Seattle University as a history major specializing in medieval Europe from 500 ce to 1000 ce. However his dreams of the future were dashed as the crash erased his identity completely. When Roman learned this news he was at the dawn of the crash across the city from his parents, whom he quickly realized were close to a ensuing riot. Hurrying back home he found his parents dead, killed by a gang who took advantage of the chaotic situation when they broke into the Gaul's home. Roman took matters into his own hands and with his girlfriend at the time, Sonya Komuso, the two set out and killed those who were responsible. This brought reprisal assaults from friends of the gang members and initiated the fabled “Lakeside Reckoning”, which a standoff took place between Roman, Sonya, and various gang members that resulted in a gun battle killing most of the gang members involved. The rumor was that Zan and Sonya got away without taking any bullets, but this was exaggerated as Zan and Sonya were severally shot up and barely got out in the end. With the success of the “Lakeside Reckoning,” Zan and Sonya got their feet in the doors as capable runners, but this relationship would end when Yakuza talent scouts forced Zan into their organization to keep him away from Yakuza backed gangs. An offer Zan could not refuse or he would be actively sought by the Yakuza and Zan and Sonya did not have the resources at the time to deal with such an enemy. Zan stayed in the Yakuza for close to five years. Zan in game Zan appeared as an NPC in the very first game, teaming up with Thomas (T-Rex) and Teucer at the behest of his yakuza employers. He remained with them through the subsequent ambushes, double crosses, and continuing operations to retrieve the five "White Souls" (see also: the armor plot). only returning to the yakuza when the team had found relative, if temporary, safety at the home/headquarters of Dr. Vanessa Drake. Unlike Thomas, Zan was not let go by his syndicate during the Souls debacle, and it is unknown what punishments he faced for his long absence while the team was in hiding from Alfonso Biggio. Despite his cool demeanor, Zan has proven to have some very useful friends. Most notably, it was he who brought Rune Komuso into the team's fold, even going so far as to actively convince the wavering magician to remain with the team in order to fufill his undeniable curiousity at the nature of the Souls. He also introduced the team to to Stamina, a former runner living under the streets of Redmond, who provided the team with a place to sleep and regroup during the worst of the Mafia civil war. He has demonstrated a fondness for depressents, though nowhere near what might be called an addiction. He favors Lonely Cowboy brand whiskey, has accepted dopamine laced cigarettes from Rune, and mentioned recreational use of Zen. Unusual enough as a Caucasian in the service of the yakuza, Zan has further mentioned being half-Italian, something one might expect the Seattle yakuza, longtime enemies of one of the few remaining Italian mafia families, to take exception to. Zan and the team Zan gets along well with everyone on the team, though there is no one he seems to share a particularly warm relationship with. It is known that Zan and Rune have known each other a long time, and in fact even seem to have been good friends at some point, but it would be a stretch to describe them that way now. He has also been a bit of a flirt, mostly with Sofia. Lifestyle Zan could be considered an urban nomad. He has been known to never stay in one residence for longer than three months and even three months is cutting it too far. He attributes this to helping his long survival rate on the streets, where he often sleeps. He keeps most of his belongs in a duffel bag/backpack, which he carries with him, even on missions. Inside he keeps basic amenities, such as a few changes of clothes, toiletries and cosmetics, whiskey, guns, and a bed roll that he always sleeps on, save for a futon mattress he keeps in the apartments he occasionally uses. Zan is well versed in the Redmond sewers and knows many of the ins and outs as for most of the past five years has slept in them. The bedroll serves as the perfect bed for Zan, as it can easily adapt to his nomadic habits. Spirituality Zan isn't known to be religious, but has been noted on many occasions to hold a quiet reverence for such ideas. He practices meditation daily to center himself and “commune.” He has stated that the only thing he is certain of is the passage of time as everything else is subjective. Zan does believe in an afterlife and views it as a place that is timeless, but has not given any details past that. If Zan's tattoos are any indication of spirituality, then it would reflect celtic pagan and shinto ideas may fit heavily into his mindset along with a hoge-poge of others. Money Zan doesn't like money and will spend it as quickly as he can to get rid of it. He has even donated much of his shadow money to charity. He purchased the group's first collective vehicle, a van, along with drones without anyone indicating needing such. Alcohol and Drug Use Zan's biggest weakness is the sauce. It's the first friend he goes to when he realizes regret and his constant use has become a habit (Zan has indicated many regrets in his life), though comparatively mild, Zan tries to keep his partaking of booze between business and not during. Zan tries to ebb his cravings with meditation, which has had mixed results. So far Zan's drinking has not negatively affected the group. Zan partakes in the occasional self rolled blunt and has been known to do hallucinogens, but has ceded such when his shedim visions started (don't want to body trip when seeing a shedim pov shot eating some one else alive). His visions have prompted more alcohol use. Regret Zan regrets his past life with the Yakuza, the blood lust vengeance he resorted to after the deaths of his parents, losing the woman of his dreams, and numerous killings. Diet Zan's average food intake consists of daily vitamins, purified water (he keeps a water purifier in his duffel bag), and hardtack. He sticks to what is quick, easy, portable, and doesn't spoil. Zan doesn't cook, but appreciates any good meal as he is by far not a picky eater. A good night for him may consist of a few slices of bread and a jar of peanut butter. Lately he has been spoiling himself on food that Sofia cooks. Tattoos Zan is covered in tattoos. His right arm is covered in celtic knot design mixed with dramatic and stylized witches and druids as his left arm is covered in Yakuza tattoos which are a mix of various oni with wild and distorted faces in samurai armor, robes, or naked. His back tattoo is of a demon geisha who hides her face behind an American flag fan wearing a pink and purple flower kimono, with glowing red eyes. She is enveloped in smoke which seems to be emanating from behind her where two bigger and darker red eyes are hidden, indicating a dragon shrouded by it's own smoke. There is also a small stylized band of violins around Zan's right ankle. Training Zan owes much of his skill to three factors, his own innate ability, Sonya, and Stamina. Sonya, whom had already been trained by various teachers, gave Zan the ins and outs on stalking, stealth, and various martial techniques. Already an avid gun enthusiast, Zan took to firearms easily, specializing in automatics to the point of fanaticism. Zan is considered one of the best shots on the streets, rivaling if not surpassing special forces abilities with such weapons. Stamina helped Zan center himself mentally, however has not been able to get Zan off the sauce. His nomadic lifestyle is attributed to his own decisions of being hard to find as Zan has plenty of enemies to worry about. Romance Zan's relationships with other women have held considerable interest with the group on numerous occasions as they have become topics of discussion. There have been noted three different relationships in the past that Zan has had so far. Sonya Blonde elf, phys-ad, five years younger. Considerably the more controversial relationship Zan has discussed. Zan met Sonya as Roman while in college, before he descended into a life of crime. It was here where Roman also met Rune, Sonya's brother and developed a friendship with the mage. It was considered quite passionate and Zan even admitted to Rune much later that he was even considering proposing marriage to her. When Roman's parents were murdered, Sonya remained with Roman to help him seek vengeance and followed him into the Seattle shadows where the two developed a professional reputation around the year of '65. However it all changed when Zan was forced into the Yakuza as Sonya left him, not wanting to get mixed up in the criminal syndicate. Zan's ankle tattoo of violins remains as a reminder of her. Zan has not seen her since. Simmer Japanese human, cybered, six years younger. Zan dated Simmer while working for the Yakuza. Then she was a hired gun that worked similar jobs to Zan, but was not officially part of the Yakuza. The two eventually broke up and she disappeared for a while, re-emerging as a ghoul leading the the gang Tansion, which Zan, along with the group, helped destroy in order to get to shedim. Simmer was spared and has not been seen again. Amateretsu Japanese human, phys-ad, same age. Zan saw Amateretsu visiting her uncle Akuna back in March of '70 and has been intrigued by her since. He was able to get Akuna to tell him more about her and became even more interested, but eventually let it hang as he never saw her come back around. He saw her again when she was escorting Tia and Chavez to Dr. Vanessa Drake's office, where sparks were rekindled. However they were not acted upon until after the victory over Hashashi in December '70 and a truth or dare game during a celebration which Venus dared Zan to kiss Amateretsu to climax the end of the game. The two have acted like bunnies in spring time ever since. Category:Characters Category:Chapter 1 Category:Chapter 2